What the doctor ordered

Mother-to-be paints to pass time in hospital room

Mother-to-be paints to pass time in hospital room

May 14, 2006

You might think a mother of four would love nothing more this Mother's Day than to stay in a secluded hideaway where all her needs are met. But Katherine Davis, 39, of Mishawaka, would prefer to be home with her kids and husband than staying at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend as a high-risk pregnancy patient. When Davis was a little more than 23 weeks along in her pregnancy, her water broke. That was at the end of March. She's been at the hospital ever since. Dr. Kelly McGuire says Davis' pregnancy is progressing very well. "Ninety percent of women would have delivered by about day 28 (after membrane rupture), so she's way beyond the outer limits, and that's good, because every extra day we get is an extra day for the baby," McGuire said. So how does she keep from going crazy looking at the same four walls every day? She's painting pictures -- landscapes, portraits, anything that pops into her head. As of press time, Davis had not yet delivered her baby. Tribune writer Gwen O'Brien spoke with her recently. You've got a 2-year-old and three other kids, and they've got to miss Mom. For the youngest one it's been the hardest, because he was so, so stuck to my hip and now he's Mr. Independent." So it will be a little different when you get home: You'll have Mr. Independentanda new baby. I'm actually a little nervous about that one, going home and having everything changed. How are you doing? The odds weren't very good for the baby when I first came in, but every day the odds go up, and I'm in week 29 and there were a lot of 29-weekers born last week. Things look so much better than when I came in. I mean, I'm still worried, but I'm a lot less worried than when I came in. You must be relieved. I am, and everything looks really good on all the ultrasounds because I've had so many! How many have you had? Last time I counted it was like 14. ... I've been getting a picture with every ultrasound and putting it on the window, and it actually helps. I get to watch her grow, and that keeps me in bed. Otherwise I would have gone home a long time ago. So painting has helped? If I didn't have something to do, I would have gone completely nuts, because I'm so used to going all day long. Have you felt like you're going nuts? There's moments. You can't open the windows, and after the first week you are so bored with the food. You can't cook. You can't run to McDonald's. None of the stuff that you're so used to doing. Where do you get your inspiration for your paintings? Some of it's photographs or stuff I've seen. Most of it has anything to do with sea, sand and water, because I want to be out in it. How many pictures have you painted since you've been here? I've done basically one a day since the first week. Some are selling, some I send home, some of them I don't. Some I don't like. It just depends how they turn out. How long have you been painting? I started painting when my 13-year-old was pretty self-sufficient and she could handle her own thing. That's when I decided to learn how to paint. Before then, it was just sketching. So probably the last seven years. Do you consider yourself an artist? I really like to do it, so I really don't care if I am good or not. It's something I really like to do, and I figure anything you really like to do, it's a plus. Know someone with a story to tell? Contact Gwen O'Brien at gobrien@sbt.com or (574) 235-6350.